Last night our Bordeaux group met for a Gruaud Larose vertical at Fabio Piccolo Fiore in midtown. A couple of people couldn’t make it, but Jay Miller (the good one) pinchhit. I have a cold but a sudafed dried me up enough I could smell a bit.

A few starter wines1999 Matrot Meursault-PerrieresI seemed to like this more than table, thought it was in a very good place. Mature but not tired (I’ve had bad premOx luck with Matrot, so felt lucky), a little beeswax and hazelnut over a pear and mineral core. Thanks Nano. B+/A-

NV Pierre Peters Rose ChampagneI liked this more after it had a couple hours of air. Chalk, strawberries, a little citrus peel. Nice length, but not as elegant as the blanc. B+

We had some assorted appetizers (I loved the carpaccio, liked the crabmeat, liked mozzarella and pepper but could live without January tomatoes, the giant calamari needed another 2 minutes in fryer). We went on the main event, with a seat of the pants order.

1985 Ch. Gruaud LaroseLots of 1985s are showing well now, and this is a prime example. Lovely dark fruits, forest floor, tobacco. Balanced and elegant. Wins WOTN in group voting by a healthy margin. A-

1988 Ch. Gruaud LaroseShowed like an ‘88, a bit sturdy and clunky next to the ‘85, but actually quite a nice St. Julien in need of a steak. Still a bit of tannin, cassis and earth, B+

A trio of pasta - neither the lobster ravioli or gnocchi with pesto great with reds, veal and mushroom did ok.

1989 Ch. Gruaud LaroseCorked (I had double-decanted this at home, but missed, which I blame on a cold)

1990 Ch. Gruaud LaroseI had low expectations of this as a bottle at a vertical 6-8 years ago showed roasted and pruney. This did show quite ripe, but pulled back before pruney for my tastes, a pleasant broad-shouldered wine. B/B+

1995 Ch. Gruaud LaroseThis was a little weird, with folks arguing over brett vs. VA. I found it a bit lifted with a hint of merde, but not extreme. Medium bodied, a little short. Not sure if bottle or wine. B-

1996 Ch. Gruaud LaroseNice nose of cassis with a little barnyard and a lot of cedar. But thought a bit soft on palate, despite some tannin. Others liked more and it finished in 2nd place. B

My main was a pretty good chicken florentine if you avoided the sea of marsala sauce, others mostly had veal or steak.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellentwine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at aparty where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises ofobjectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

I own a lone bottle of 2000 Gruaud (never tried it) and I notice the asking price for it go up and up steadily each year-- maybe time to sell it?

That all said, I love the 83, 85, 86 Gruauds, and that 82 last September was pretty awesome. I also agree on the 88, solid but pedestrian (while the 88 Meyney has shown wonderfully over the last 4 years, though it may be fading now at least for WineBid-purchased bottles).